Dinner is over. The dishes are probably sitting in the sink; you’re thinking about what’s on TV, and depending on how full your belly is, your body is ready to settle into the evening. But what you do during the next hour or two can actually make a difference in how you feel tonight and how you feel tomorrow morning.
Some of the best things to do after dinner are incredibly simple and often overlooked. They can get you moving, help with digestion, give your brain something to work on, and keep you from sitting the entire evening.
If you’re over 60, these little habits are worth paying attention to.
5 Things to Do After Dinner
Take a 10-minute walk
If there’s one thing I’d put at the top of the list, it’s this. You don’t need to power walk around the neighbourhood for an hour, and you don’t even need to change into workout clothes. Just get up and walk.
A gentle 10-minute walk after dinner gets your body moving at a time when many of us would normally sit down and stay there. Walking after a meal can also help your body handle the rise in blood sugar that naturally happens after eating, while giving your heart, circulation and muscles a little work.
Walk around the block, walk around your yard, walk up and down the driveway, or if the weather is bad, walk around inside your house. The point is simply to avoid going straight from the dinner table to the couch.
Of all the things to do after dinner, this is probably the best for your belly, digestion, joints, and more! If you have mobility issues, you can walk on the spot while sitting in your chair.
Stay upright for a while
I know. The couch is calling. But lying down immediately after eating can make heartburn and that overly full feeling worse for some people, so staying upright gives your body some time to digest your meal before you settle in for the night.
You don’t have to stand around for two hours. Stay upright while you clean up the kitchen, talk to someone, fold laundry, water your plants, or do whatever you normally do in the evening.
There’s another benefit, too. You can work on your balance and core strength at the same time!
Do a few minutes of easy movement
Not a strenuous workout. Just a little movement.
Try a few slow sit-to-stands from a sturdy chair, roll your shoulders, move your ankles, stretch your calves, or do a few gentle side-to-side movements. If you have exercises that your doctor or physical therapist has recommended for you, this can be a good time to do them.
The goal isn’t to sweat. It’s simply to remind your body that it still needs to move. A few minutes of movement can help loosen up stiff joints, get your circulation going and keep your body from becoming accustomed to being parked on the couch every evening.
It’s much easier to convince yourself to move for five minutes than to convince yourself to do a full workout first thing in the morning.
Drink some water, but don’t overdo it
You probably don’t need a giant glass of water right before bed. In fact, if you’re constantly waking up during the night to use the bathroom, drinking a lot of liquid late in the evening may not be doing you any favors.
But if you haven’t had much water during the day, having some with and after dinner can be a good way to top up your fluids. Water supports just about everything your body does, including digestion, circulation and normal muscle function.
Keep a glass nearby and sip it rather than forcing yourself to drink a huge amount all at once. One of the simplest things to do after dinner is simply reaching for water instead of another sugary drink or an evening snack you don’t really need.
Give your brain a little workout
After dinner doesn’t have to mean turning your brain off for the rest of the night. Spend 10 or 15 minutes doing something that makes you think a little. Try a crossword puzzle, Sudoku, Wordle, a card game, a puzzle, or even a trivia game.
Here’s a great article with 11 fun brain exercises.
You could also challenge yourself to remember as many names, places or things from a particular category as you can. Learn a few words in a new language, or try to recall what you did earlier that day without looking at your phone or calendar.
Activities that challenge your memory, attention and problem-solving skills can be a fun way to keep your mind engaged, and unlike sitting in front of the television, you’re actually participating instead of just consuming whatever happens to be on the screen.
Pick something you enjoy. Maybe you love crossword puzzles, maybe you’re fiercely competitive at cards, or maybe Wordle has become your morning obsession. Whatever makes you think and keeps you interested counts.
Of all the things to do after dinner, this one might be the most fun.
You can grab my free Mandala Art Colouring Book here if that’s your thing! Download it and print it off as many times as you want. 🙂
Small Habits Can Make a Big Difference
Here’s the thing about getting older. You don’t need to completely overhaul your life to take better care of yourself. You need habits you can actually live with.
A 10-minute walk is better than deciding you’re going to start exercising for an hour every day and giving up after four days. A few minutes of stretching is better than sitting for three straight hours. Drinking some water is better than realizing at bedtime that you barely drank anything all day.
And doing a crossword or playing a quick game is a lot more enjoyable than telling yourself you need to “work on your brain.”
That’s why these simple things to do after dinner are worth trying. You don’t have to do all five every night. Pick one tonight. Maybe take that short walk, stay on your feet while you clean up, or grab a crossword puzzle instead of immediately turning on the TV.
Then, once that feels normal, add another.
The goal is not to become sedentary and let our bodies and brains get used to doing nothing. We need to keep moving in order to age strong, healthy and happy!
